There is a widely acknowledged evaluation gap in the field of
e-participation practice and research, a lack of systematic
evaluation with regard to process organization, outcome and
impacts. This book addresses the state of the art of
e-participation research and the existing evaluation gap by
reviewing various evaluation approaches and providing a
multidisciplinary concept for evaluating the output, outcome and
impact of citizen participation via the Internet as well as via
traditional media. It offers new knowledge based on empirical
results of its application (tailored to different forms and levels
of e-participation) in an international comparative perspective.‚
The book will advance the academic study and practical application
of e-participation through fresh insights, largely drawing on
theoretical arguments and empirical research results gained in the
European collaborative project "e2democracy". It applies the same
research instruments to a set of similar citizen participation
processes in seven local communities in three countries (Austria,
Germany and Spain). The generic evaluation framework has been
tailored to a tested toolset, and the presentation and discussion
of related evaluation results aims at clarifying to what extent
these tools can be applied to other consultation and collaboration
processes, making the book of interest to policymakers and scholars
alike.